Conveyer



W. J. GIBBS Aug. 8, 1933.

CONVEYER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 2, 1929 Aug. 8, 1933. w J Glass 1,920,981

CONVEYER Filed Feb. 2, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 8, 1933 The Lamson Company, Syracuse, N. Y., 2. Corporation of Massachusetts Application February 2, 1929.

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in conveying machines, and more particularly to such,

machines in which trays, boxes or similar articles are to be raised or lowered through a well by means. of shelves attached to correlated chains.

One of the features of the present invention is theprovision of an assembly in which the chains and shelves maybe located within a relatively narrow shaft-way, without interference of one part with another.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a peculiar type of guide and brace for the respective shelves, which at the same time affords a protective guard for the moving chains. I

With these and other objects in view as will appear in the course of the following specification and claims, an illustrative construction of the machine according to the present invention 20 isv set forth on the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Figure l is an elevation of the conveying machine, with an intermediate section broken away.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on line' 2-2 or Fig. 1. r

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, on a further enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a guide bracket member for a shelf.

According to the present invention, four chains are arranged in two pairs, .the four chains being located substantially at the corners of the well 7 in which the tray, box or the like is to be lifted or lowered. These chains are guided over upper and lower sprockets, and are connected for drive by a common source of power which is preferably reversible so that the device may be caused to operate to either raise or lower the article such as a tray, box, etc. Each of the chains is protected in its operative flight within a channel which serves likewise as a guide for a series of bracket members for the corresponding portions of shelves, the shelves being connected to the several chains and arranged opposite each other so that a level support is presented on which the article is raised or lowered in the well.

In the drawings, the angle iron standards 10 have the inwardly turned legs 11: and are securely bolted or riveted to the furtherangle members 12 having the inwardly turned legs 13: the space between the legs 11 and 13 forming a guideway for the respective shelf-supporting bracket members as will be described hereinafter. These angle members 10 are provided adjacent Serial No. 337,016

the four corners of the box to be occupied by the article which is being raised or lowered (Fig. 2), while further angle irons 14 are located in alinement with the irons 10 to provide in con junction with the central irons 10 a relatively narrow housing in which the chains may make their return flight. The several angle irons 10, 14 are connected together by cross bracing members 15 at top and bottom, and by suitable transverse bracing members 16 (Fig. 2). On the brace members 15 are provided the pillow blocks 17 for the shafts of the sprockets 18, 19 and 20: while vertical members 21 which connect brace members 15 at the bottom, are provided with the slides 22 upon which are mounted the adjustable pillow blocks 23 which may be moved up and down by the spind1es24 in order to maintain the proper tension upon the traveling chains. These pillow blocksreceivethe shafts of the guide sprockets 2'5, 26. A further pillow. block 2'7, mounted on a 75 member 21, supports the shaftfor the guide sprockets 28. g

Two outer traveling chains are provided, which pass over the sprockets 18, 19, 26 and 28 in their circuit: while similar inner chains 31 pass over the guide s rockets 20 and 25. The shafts of; sprockets 19 and 20 are provided with further driven sprockets to receive the chain 32 which passes over the driving sprocket 33 on the shaft 34. which is driven through suitable reduc- 85 tion gears from the motor M. The housing for the shaft 34 and its reducing train, and the motor M, are carried by a platform 35 supported on the topmost brace members 15.

One chain 30 or 31 is mounted between the legs 11, 13 of each pair of angle members 10, 12 (Fig. 2), and is locatednear the bottom of the channel thus formed. The bracket supporting members shown in Fig; 4 comprise the base plate with a short leg 41 and a long leg 42 formed as an integral channel. The base plate 10 has apertures 43 ther'ethrough to receive extensions of the pivot pins 44 of the respective chain 30 or 31 (see Fig. 3), so" that the bracket supporting member is carried along with the chain in its movement. The short leg 41 preferably extends flush with the leg 13: while the long leg 42 projects beyond the channel formed of the legs 11 and 1 1 and is provided with apertures 45 to receive bolts 46 which project into the well passing through the spacing members 47 and a bracket plate 48' (Fig. 3), to which latter the shelf 49 is rigidly secured. The bracket plate 48 thus connects opposite pairs of the bracket supporting members and travels with the well 49' in the well when transporting articles. It is preferred to form the spacing members 47 as rollers of shorter length than the sleeves 50 surrounding the bolts 46, so that the rollers may move along freely and without friction upon the edges of the legs 11, and thus guide and support the bracket supporting members themselves and therewith the chains and hold these in proper position within the respective channels.

A plurality of the shelves 49 is provided on each pair of chains, the distances between the shelves being uniform and the positions of the chains being so constructed and arranged that the shelves come opposite one another in pairs in the space outlined by the channels enclosing the four traveling chains (Figs. 1 and 2).

In operation, if the motor M is set in rotation so that the chains and 31 move upward in their right-hand flight in Fig. 1, and a tray is slid into the well between thenearest angle members 10, the next pair of shelves 49 will engage the bottom of the tray and carry it upward, until it reaches a proper level at which it may be manually or otherwise withdrawn from the shelves. The guiding of the bracket supporting members in the channels assures the shelves a great stifiness and rigidity of relative position during traveling, so that considerable weights may be carried, and the tendency to upset or spill articles onthe trays or in boxes is reduced to a minimum. By reversing the motor M, the conveying machine may be operated by placing trays or boxes upon a pair of shelves 49 while the chains 30, 31 move downward in the right hand flight of Fig. 1, and then these trays may be withdrawn at a lower point. I

During these movements of the traveling chains, the guide members 40 travel in their re- ";3 spective channels between the loading and unloading positions. In Fig. 1 it will be seen that these channel members are cut away above and below the horizontal planes passing through the axes of the respective sprockets for the operative flights, so that the guide. members 20 are permitted to turn with their corresponding chain links in passing around the respective sprockets, and yet are received and guided accurately in the operative flight itself.

1 It is obvious that the invention is not limited cured by Letters Patent is:

l. A device of the class described comprising four pairs of angle irons connected together to present a channel, the channels being arranged in pairs open toward and mutually opposite one I another, traveling chains in said channels, a plurality of supporting members each comprising a channel piece to be located in a respective one of said channels and guided by theinner walls thereof and means to fasten the channel piece i to move withone link of said respective chain,

one leg of each said channel piece projecting beyond the other so that it extends beyond the said respective channel member, and horizontal shelves to connect said channel pieces in pairs and attached to said longer legs of said channel a well upon load carrying shelves, comprising a plurality of guiding chamiel members arranged in inner and outer pairs with their respective channels opening toward one another, said channel members being located substantially at the corners of the well, endless chains traveling in said channels, members located within and guided by the parallel walls of the channels and connected intermediate their ends to the chains for movement therewith, brackets in the well mounted upon said members to connect opposite pairs of such members, and load carrying shelves, independent of the channel members, fixed to said brackets intermediate the ends thereof, whereby the members which extend above and below the shelves are adapted to engage the walls of the channel members to prevent any undue tilting by reason of the weight of the loads upon the shelves.

3. Mechanism for conveying articles through a well upon load carrying shelves, comprising a plurality of guiding channel members arranged in inner and outer pairs with their respective channels opening toward one another, said channel members being located substantially at the corners of the well, endless chains traveling in said channels, members located within and guided by the parallel walls of the channels and connected intermediate their ends to the chains for movement therewith, brackets in the well 1 mounted upon said members to connect opposite pairs of such members, load carrying shelves, independent of the channel members, fixed to said brackets intermediate the ends thereof, and bolts projecting into the well from said members past the walls of the channel members, by which bolts the brackets are connected to the members above and below the shelves, whereby the members which extend above and below the shelves are adapted to engage the walls of the channel members to prevent any undue tilting by reason of the weight of the loads upon the shelves.

4. Mechanism for conveying articles through a well upon load carrying shelves, comprising a plurality of guiding channel members arranged in inner and outer pairs with their respective channels opening toward one another, said channel members being located substantially at the corners of the well, endless chains traveling in said channels, members located within and guided by the parallel walls of the channels and connected intermediate their ends to the chains for movement therewith, brackets in the well mounted upon said members to connect opposite pairs of such members, load carrying shelves, independent of the channel members, fixed to said brackets intermediate the ends thereof, bolts projecting into the well from said members past the walls of the channel members, by which bolts the brackets are connected to the members above and below the shelves, and rollers on the portions of said bolts in front of the edges of the 'walls of the channel members, whereby the members which extend above and below the shelves are adapted to engage the walls of the channel members to prevent any undue tilting by reason of the weight of the loads upon the shelves and the rollers are adapted to engage the edges of. the walls to prevent any undue lateral swaying 1 of the shelves.

WILLIAM J. GIBBS. 

